Meet The Marauders
by Kaleey James
Summary: Story about how the marauders met and their lives through Hogwarts. LJ, RS. First fic, but it's a keeper, feedback strongly encouraged! Rated for future chapters. Chapter 7 is up! Happy New Year and Happy Deathly Hallows! Do you have YOURS on order?
1. First Introductions

Story about how the marauders met and their lives through Hogwarts. L/J, R/S

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When Harrison and Emily Potter moved into the old stone cottage in Broadmoor Buckle with their only son, eleven-year-old James, they realized almost immediately that they had a scant number of neighbors. With Harrison and Emily both past seventy, they felt this was quite fine, and even prefered the solitude. James, quite bright even without any formal wizarding training, had a knack for making trouble with other children, usually along the lines of playing games like "Jump Off The Highest Wall," or "Catch The Doxy." James was about to go off to school at Hogwarts for his first year, and his parents had bought his school books just before the move, to keep him occupied while things "settled down." No one had mentioned any children in the immediate area, so the Potters supposed their Jamesy would just entertain himself.

When James wasn't helping unpack, he was usually found in his new room on the upper floor, curled up with "A Beginner's Guide To Transfiguration," one of his new school books. He stayed busy helping his parents, reciting charms they'd taught him, and singing odd little songs and telling stories he'd made up. His imagination was extremely active, so much so that he had exhausted the patience of three private tutors during his primary schooling.

But James never was a bookworm, and there was a rather large outdoors beckoning him, so a few days after the move was complete, he politely announced at the breakfast table that he was going to meet some of the neighbors and see if there were any children his age nearby. He took a bookbag full of sandwiches and soda water for lunch, and a small sack of Floo powder with him at his mother's request, in case he should manage to be delayed and be late for dinner. James was a willowy boy, with hazel eyes that shifted to a brownish-green when he was upset, and unruly black hair that stuck in every direction at once. He didn't have glasses, unlike his parents; his eyesight was excellent. He thought about going back to the house for his broomstick – an old Tinderblast his father had when he was younger. A vintage model, from 1940, it was older than James by two decades; though it was trustworthy, it had a tendency to lose its speed and steadiness above an altitude of about fifteen feet, making it an excellent learning broom for beginners. James didn't consider himself a beginner anymore.

He couldn't wait to get his own broom. He actually had the money for a Nimbus 1001, the professional standard of the day. He had planned everything out on how he would get it: He had his Gringott's key handy, in his pack at the moment, and his grandfather's Invisibility Cloak. "Father Potter" had given it to James when he turned ten, with strict instructions never to mention it to Harrison, claiming that Harrison was too much of a good egg for it, and to properly use one, you had to have a bit of mischief in you. James prized it over any other possession he had, though a new Nimbus racing broom would rank a close runner-up.

James had it all planned out. He'd go to Diagon Alley, manage to slip away from any chaperones he might have, and get the money out of his Gringotts vault. He'd done it last time when he got his schoolbooks, convincing his mother and father that he was old enough to access his account on his own. He knew exactly how much it would cost – forty-five galleons and six knuts – and he planned to get a little extra out for some ice cream and perhaps some of the more interesting texts he found at Flourish and Blotts. Once he got the broom from Quality Quidditch Supplies, it was only a few yards to the post office, where he'd have Express Owl Delivery take it to his house by next morning. He'd cover the broom with the Invisibility Cloak if anyone he knew happened to be around in Diagon Alley, so no one would see it and tip off his parents. He had every intention of practicing on the broom whenever he could, though first years couldn't have their own brooms at Hogwarts. Once it was delivered at his home, he'd hide it in a trunk or his closet, possibly covered with the cloak. Everything was planned out; James just needed a way to get to Diagon Alley for half an hour to put the plan in motion.

While James' mind wandered to broomsticks and soaring through the clouds, his feet wandered south, across the field his bedroom faced. The air was just hot enough to make him want to take off his t-shirt, so he sat down to stuff it in his bag, when he heard something scuffling through the tall grass. He stood up and looked around, spotting a lion tail and spotted fur. _A kneazle_, he thought. _Wonder where it's going_. So he followed it as it traveled northeast. He stopped when he saw two houses, one in front of the other, a bit futher north. The nearer one was made of stone, like the one he now resided in; the further had white wooden shingles on the sides above a stone foundation, and was a bit smaller than the first. Both houses were single story homes, the stone one being a bit taller, with more windows. The wooden house looked empty, but the stone house had a bit of smoke rising through the chimney, and the distinct smell of apple cobbler wafting his way in the breeze. The kneazle forgotten, James made his way over to the stone house.

When he raised his hand to knock on the door, he was surprised to see it open for him. The boy on the other side who opened the door was much more surprised, however. He had light brown hair, deep brown eyes, and very heavy shadows under his eyes. He looked pale and thin, and his clothes seemed to hang off of him. The boy looked very much like he hadn't been eating very well, and he was a couple inches shorter than James, but he was dressed nearly the same, save the fact that the boy on the inside was wearing a shirt. The clothes were standard clothing for a boy his age, though they looked a bit shabby, with some worn spots.

"Sorry, didn't expect to see you there," said the boy nervously. The surprise of nearly running into James seemed to have rattled him. He shifted his eyes to the floor nervously.

"No problem. I'm James Potter, live further down in the buckle. D'you live here?"

"Ummmm, yeah. I'm Remus. Lupin. Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you."

"So… where were you going?"

"My toy winged horse flew out my window – I was going to get it back."

"Oh. Well, go ahead then, don't let me put you off."

James stepped out of the doorway and Remus walked a little jelly-legged around the corner of the house, where a miniature Abraxan figurine was trotting around in circles. When Remus headed back inside, James was standing inside the door, talking to a Felicia Lupin, Remus' mother.

"Remus, you've met James, haven't you? He lives just down the road, he's with the new family that moved in last week."

Remus shifted uneasily again. His eyes stayed glued to the floor.

"Your shoes are _not_ that fascinating, Remus, dear. Now, did you put Brax back on the shelf where he belongs?"

"Just about to, sorry," mumbled Remus, and he scurried down the hall, to what was presumably his room.

"You'll have to forgive him, he's just not very outgoing, James."

"Oh, that's fine, I'll make up for him, I usually do. Mum says I could talk several sets of ears off, swears up and down that she's put a permanent sticking charm on hers and Dad's to keep them on."

A laugh from behind him caught James off guard. He turned around to see Remus standing not three feet away. "I didn't hear you come up, Remus – don't suppose – nope, they're still here," James said, reaching up with his hands to touch his ears and grinning. Remus chuckled again.The smile filled out his hollow cheekbones and gave him a bit of a healthier look.

James spied a familiar letter in familiar green ink in Remus' hand. "You've ogt a letter, too? Are you a first year then? I just got my books before we moved."

Remus nodded, and Felicia added, "We're going to pick up his supplies in Diagon Alley right now. And, of course, Remus wants to look at the brooms while we're there."

She'd said the magic words: _Diagon Alley_ and _broom_. James has his opportunity, and he certainly wasn't going to let it slip away. "Mind if I tag along? There's a couple things I wanted to get, but I didn't have the time last time. I'll Floo my parents and ask if it's alright if I can go."

"Oh, well dear, go right ahead. We were going to Floo to Diagon Alley, we can wait a minute or two."

James pulled the little pouch of Floo Powder out from his bag and threw a pinch into the fireplace in the living room. The flames grew bright with a neon green color, and James yelled, "17 Broadmoor Buckle, Potter residence!" Then he stuck his head in the flames.

When James opened his eyes, he saw his own living room, though with a slight greenish tint. "Mum!" he yelled. "Mum!"

"Jamesy! What are you doing? Where are you?"

"Mum, I'm at the neighbors, the Lupins, there's a boy my age, his name's Remus, and they're going to Diagon Alley, I'm going with them, we'll be going through the Floo Network, we won't be long, just a few hours probably. Is that okay?"

"Fine, dear. Just let us know if you'll be late for dinner."

James let out a whoop of excitement as he pulled his head out of the flames and shook his head like he was trying to shake some cobwebs loose. "Talking by Floo is always a little nerve-wracking for me, " he said to no one in particular. "Either I feel like I've been in a tunnel with a hurricane, or I worry that my hair's gonna catch fire."

"Well, you _look_ like you've been in a tunnel with a hurricane, and if your hair caught fire, you'd be the first to know, now wouldn't you?" Remus cracked. James looked at him for a moment, then both their faces split into huge grins. James turned to Felicia and said, "Mum's fine with it. When do we leave?"

"Right _now_!" She threw a pinch of powder in the flames, which had turned back to orange for a few seconds, and Remus stepped into the flames, yelling "_Diagon Alley!_" With a _swish_, he was out of sight. James did the same, and Felicia followed a few moments after, once she had made sure the door was locked and charmed.

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Remus had never been to Diagon Alley – his mother bought clothes for him at various second-hand shops about England, and what she didn't buy, she made for him. But now Remus was in need of a wand, and school books, and robes, and there was simply no way to bargain shop on those items. Remus and Felicia had both been dreaming of this day and dreading it, for reasons each their own.

Remus was afflicted with lycanthropy. He had been bitten by a werewolf when he was six, out wandering around the yard watching a sunset one evening. His father had left the family a few months later; he simply couldn't handle watching his son be locked in a cage for a few nights out of each month, desperately attempting to maim or kill anything within reach. Felicia and Remus hadn't heard from him again. Felicia would lock Remus in a roomy cage in his room the day before the full moon, with lots of small furniture and the occasional chicken or rabbit. She'd place a Silencing Charm on the room, so the neighbors couldn't hear, and each morning she would charm some water from a pitcher into a large bowl for him to drink. When he transformed back into her child, she would heal his wounds and hold him while he cried.

Due to Remus' condition, Felicia had great difficulty holding a full time job; she had to be home during the three days of the full moon in case the Silencing Charm wore off or someone came to call, and she had to home school Remus when she wasn't working. Sitters were a problem, too, since paying them was a difficult matter. Felicia used up most of the inheritance her father left her to buy the house where they currently lived, in Broadmoor Buckle. She spent the rest of it on furniture and the necessities, and they scraped by with Felicia tailoring clothes out of the house and Remus making wood carvings with a pocketknife. Remus became, quite literally, a lone wolf, avoiding most people whenever he could. They never spoke a word about his illness to others. They lived a very quiet existence, living on a very tight budget.

But everything was turned upside down once Remus received his Hogwarts letter. On the spring day that he received it, Felicia sat down with him and they had a very long and emotional discussion about the situation. Felicia was privately surprised that her son was so mature for his age, though, in hindsight, his illness had aged them both a great deal; him mentally, and her physically. She often thought that Remus acted as though the entire weight of the world was on his shoulders; she looked like it was on hers.

They decided that it was too much of a risk to send him away from home. Felicia wouldn't be there to tend to him, and without the proper precautions he would be a great danger to anyone near him. Felicia wrote a kind but apologetic letter back to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall the next day, stating that, due to unfortunate circumstances, Remus wouldn't be attending Hogwarts. Remus signed the letter, and they sent the owl on its way. Neither one knew that the other cried until dropping off into a restless sleep that night.

The next morning, Felicia stumbled down the stairs feeling extremely exhausted. Not sending Remus to school meant that he would effectively be a Squib. With no formal Wizarding Education to his name, he would not be allowed a wand, and with no training, his magical powers would never be honed well enough to use them without one. He'd be an outcast, unlikely to get much of a job in the wizarding world, with virtually no chance to get one outside of it, due to his frequent absences. He would most likely never marry or have children, due to his illness and his withdrawn personality. This weighed quite heavily on her mind as she lit the stove and began fixing breakfast. Remus was sitting on his favorite windowsill in the living room, staring moodily out the window. When they heard the familiar _thwap_ of their morning paper on their doorstep, Remus jumped up to open the door and pull it in, hoping for any sign of hope in it.

Felicia Lupin did not subscribe to the _Daily Prophet_ like most adult wizards. After Remus was injured, she began to notice how often lycanthropes (she did not permit the term _werewolf_ under her roof; her son was ill, he was not a monster) were killed, albeit in self-defense, and how many laws were in place against them getting jobs and simply functioning in society. It depressed her, that society worked so hard against them and their familes, and it seemed that there was no progress whatsoever to find a cure or treatment, and she discontinued her subscription shortly after Remus became ill.

Instead, she found a very little-known journal, _Lycan Life_, that _did_ present the latest findings, and showed when research was being done, and discussed new and pending laws in a legal section. She had learned more about lycanthropy in one week of reading that journal than she had in all her years at Hogwarts. The wizards and witches who kept track of the subscriptions were probably the only other people in England who knew about Remus' condition. One of the stipulations for getting a subscription was that you had to be a lycanthrope. The journal was an underground effort, and they preferred to keep it that way, since revealing their names would mean complete social rejection. Every morning he could, Remus would gather it from the front stoop and devour every word, looking for hope that something was being done to help him, and others. Recently, he had been less enthused about reading it, even leaving the old issues untouched on occasion, like his hope was waning. But that morning, he jumped at the door with renewed fervor.

But this morning was different. When Remus flung the door open to grab for the journal, he leapt back in surprise to see high-heeled buckled boots, under long, flowing blue robes, which were partially hidden by an incredibly long beard with flecks of auburn in the white, above which sat a long mustache, a long crooked nose, sparkling blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles, on top all of which sat a blue pointed hat. The man who was standing before him was tall, with long fingers and a kindly twinkle in his eye. He was holding the copy of _Lycan Life_ which would normally be sitting on the front mat at the moment.

"Th-That'smine," Remus said stupidly, reaching his hand out to snatch the paper away, before his hand flew up to his mouth and he realized what he had just admitted.

"Then, you are Remus Lupin, I suppose?" said the tall man.

Remus stuttered for a second, before he attempted to close the door on the stranger.

"Now, my boy, that is not polite, nor is it a particularly good idea. You see, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and slamming a door on the nose of your future Headmaster can almost guarantee you a first week detention."

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Yay! First fic, and I think this one promises to be a good one! I'll try to update regularly, read and review please! I loooooove feedback! I need a beta for this story, and others in the future. If anyone is interested, my email is **kaleeyjgmail.999com **(remove the 999, that's the addy).


	2. Remus' backstory

Chapter 2 – Remus' backstory

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Remus was stunned for a moment – but he recovered his voice quickly. "I'm not going. We decided that already."

Dumbledore smiled. "And we received your owl. And I must say, it is Professor McGonagall's first declination for admission, so she _was_ rather shocked. She is new to the Deputy Head position, after all. May I come in? I would like to delve futher into the matter, and perhaps even tempt you to change your minds."

Remus moved away from the door and Dumbledore stepped in. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin. Here is your newsletter, there is an interesting article on page 2 about the beginnings of research on a new treatment potion at St. Mungo's. You may want to read it later. But now, we shall discuss. Tea, anyone?"

And Felicia's teapot immediately started whistling happily. Dumbledore flicked his wand, and three teacups materialized out of nowhere on the table. The teapot floated over to the table and filled each one in turn.

"Now, Mr. Lupin, you are aware that I know about your condition, correct?"

Remus began to study his feet with great interest.

"I will suppose that would be a yes, then?" Dumbledore asked. He turned to Felicia, who looked a bit surprised.

"I – we have kept it quiet – we'd be forced to move if someone found out – how?" she stammered.

"Well besides the subscription to _Lycan Life_, which is an excellent journal, by the way, I investigated the matter thoroughly as soon as we received your owl yesterday evening. The Ministry keeps records of these things, and the law requires that St. Mungo's report any exceptionally odd injuries to the Ministry for investigationi adnpossible registration. Remus is registered in the wizarding community of Britain as a lycanthrope. It is public record, " (Felicia, who had taken a stony expressioni at the first mention of the Ministry, gasped; Remus' ears went red) "though I doubt anyone would like to go through the proper methods to gain access to that registry and read it. I only managed to get the information without waiting until after the next full moon because one of the professors had some advantageous contacts within various departments of the ministry. So yes, I am aware of the circumstances you face. However, I am willing to help you. I think that with certain precautionary measures, and a certain amount of laxness regarding homework deadlines once a month, and you shall do just fine at Hogwarts, Mr. Lupin. Excellent, even. I notice that you have quite an appetite for learning, as judged by your taste in newspaper literature."

Felicia was now staring, open-mouthed, at Dumbledore. Remus was eyeiing him uncertainly, as if it may be a joke that someone was playing on him.

"Of course, I will have our school nurse keep up to date on the latest developments in treatments and cures. If anything should come up while Remus is in school, Felicia, we will send for you immediately to discuss the options available. Would that be acceptable?"

"I – yes, I suppose – Remus? What do you think?"

"I _guess_ that would be OK. What sort of precautionary measures?"

"So you have possibly begun to change your mind, then, Mr. Lupin?"

"I suppose." Remus glowered at Dumbledore. Felicia quickly spoke up. "Headmaster Dumbledore, this does not mean we _have_ changed our minds. We are simply interested in hearing about the lengths you are willing to go to accommodate my son."

"Of course, of course. But I think it would be best if I showed you, rather than simply while away the hours of such a glorious day telling you of them. May I suggest a trip to the school grounds, then? We can travel to my office by Floo powder, and Remus can get accquainted with some of the staff, and we shall continue our discussion in the sunlight. Shall we?"

Dumbledore rose, and with a wave of his wand, the teacups and the tea they contained disappeared. He stepped over to the fireplace, threw in some Floo powder from a pouch he drew from his pocket, and then called out, "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts!" then nudged Remus toward the flames. Remus shut his eyes as he stepped into the fire, and he felt himself spinning incredibly fast, to the point he was becoming the least bit dizzy. When he finally came to rest, he opened his eyes tentatively, then stepped out into a large office decorated with an array of glittering objects in every corner. As he wandered into the room, he couldn't decide which way to look next; everything was catching his eye: the large silver instruments glittering on the tables scattered about the round room, the enormous clawfooted desk, the old battered wizard's hat on a small shelf in the far corner, the large golden bird's perch right next to the door, and all the portraits wandering about and whispering. Remus considered actually sitting in the huge overstuffed chair behind the desk, but the _whoosh_ of his mother arriving from the fireplace made him think better of it.

A few seconds later, Headmaster Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace, brushing off his robes. "Do you approve of my office, Mr. Lupin?" he asked with a smile.

Remus was still too overwhelmed to speak, so he only nodded.

"Let us move to the hospital wing first, then."

The little group moved from the hospital wing, where they met Madam Pomfrey, a no-nonsense Healer/medi-witch whom Albus praised most highly ("By far the best nurse we've had here at Hogwarts since I began teaching!") to the dungeons,. Where they met the rotund Professor Slughorn, the Potions Pofessor. Remus had the distinct impressioin that Professor Slughorn was more interested in his box of crystalized pineapple on his desk and his O. W. L. paper grading than Remus, though they did shake hands. When Slughorn stood up, Remus thought that hen looked a bit like a beach ball with arms, legs, and a head. But he seemed friendly enough.

Dumbledore spoke to Remus in the hallway after closing Slughorn's door. "You mustn't take Horace's indifference personally – in fact, most people prefer it over his attention. When you come to school in September, he is certain to be more interested in you, I am sure."

"You'll have to tell them all, I suppose? About me?"

Yes, Remus, it is for everyone's safety that all the professors know about yur illness, and Madam Pomfrey, and Hagrid, the gamekeeper – perhaps Filch, the caretaker, as well. All the professors will have to extend homework deadlines for a day or three, given your illness and its effects on you surrounding your transformation. Now next up, we shall see Professor Sprout – she's the Herbology Professor, just started this past academic year. She is quite excited that you'll be starting Hogwarts this fall – she just doesn't know it's because of you."

On that mysterious note, Dumbledore opened the door in the Entrance Hall and Remus got his first look at the grounds of the school – he could see the large forest, and a little hut on the edge of it, and on the other side of the grounds he could see the Quidditch stadium. Straight in front of him, several greenhouses stood in a row. The headmaster indicated to the one on the far left.

A short, stout little witch was tending to a rather large yellow plant in the far corner when they entered. Remus stared at all the wild looking specimens surrouinding him, while Dumbledore called Professor Sprout over. "Professor Sprout, Felicia and Rmus Lupin. Felicia, Remus, Professor Pomona Sprout. Remus was planning to decline admission to Hogwarts – I am simply trying to change his mind," Dumbledore said.

"Oh wonderful!" she said. "Be sure to show him the new Quidditch pitch, Headmaster, and let him meet Torrence, who," she added in a much lower voice, "needs his eyesight checked. He _completely_ ignored the blatant haversacking Ravenclaw was doing that entire last match, not to mention the Gryffindor blurting that was going on. It's a wonder he can even tell which team is which!"

"So, Pomona," Dumbledore asked, trying to change the subject away from Torrence's eyesight, "have you picked out a specimen of _Salix Antagonizicus_ yet?"

"Oh yes, Headmaster Dumbledore, yes! Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart! My seventh-years will be so thrilled to study it! Thank you!"

"Wonderful, Pomona. I'll be sending Hagrid over tomorrow to pick it up. Well then, carry on. I'll speak with you tomorrow regarding the placement of it."

Dumbledore escorted Remus and Felicia out of the greenhouse with a smile on his face, to the joyous singing of Professor Sprout. Remus couldn't help but get the feeling that Dumbledore _wanted_ him to hear the conversation about the Salix whatzitz, but he couldn't figure out why. He asked. "Professor, what is a _Salix_ whatever? A plant?"

"Ah, Mr. Lupin, you catch on quickly, I see. You may make a fine Ravenclaw this September. But the _Salix Antagonizicus_ is a special, rare species of tree – a willow, to be exact. One of olny a few in Britian, it needs a large amount of attention, and it is – er – _difficult_ to work with at times, unless one knows the proper methods. It is also an intricate part of our precautions. I will explain in a few moments," he added, noting Remus' puzzled look. "For now, I think it is a good idea to meet our flying instructor and Quidditch referee, Cygnus Torrence."

And they were at the stadium. At first, all Remus saw were lines upon lines of brooms laying on the stadium field. But then, he saw a brown and red blur swoop over the brooms. His eyes followed the blur around the goal hoops first on one side of the pitch, then the other, and then straight toward him. As the blur slowed down, Remus could make out a wiry man perched on a broomstick. The man was dressed in a red shirt and brown trousers, and his hair (what was left of it) was a muddy brownish color, with flecks of gray in it. He braked on the broom, and hopped off right next to Dumbledore with a hearty "G'afternoon, Headmaster!"

"Good afternoon, Cygnus. You're checking the school brooms, I suppose?"

"Aye, three need replacin' already, and I'm not a quarter through yet. McGonagall will have me neck if I don't have enough for the first years. And I'm tryin' to fix the one with the failed brakin' charm, but I'm thinkin' it'll need replacin' too. Have to bust out the old request form, I guess. Mebbe a Cleansweep Three and a Half, we'll be able to get 'em for discount now 'at the Fours is out. An' who's this?"

"I'm Remus Lupin. Considering coming to Hogwarts this fall."

"Oho! A first year then? You won't be doin' much of anyhting on these the except learnin' how to fly one, then. You ever flown before?"

"A long time ago. I don't have my own broom."

"Too bad. Shame it is. O' course, if'n the Headmaster wouldn't mind, I _could_ use a little help testin' these out…" he finished with a wink.

Remus looked at his mother, begging with his eyes. "Not today, Remus. We'll need to be getting on with our tour, I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore is a very busy man, we mustn't tie him up for too long."

Dumbledore and Felicia started walking back up the grounds, towards a smalled, freshly cleared spot between the castle and the small hut. Remus started up after them, but turned to look back when he heard Torrence whooping as he raced around and over the goal hoops. He stared longingly at the stadium before turning around and running to catch up with his mother.

Dumbledore stopped in front of the little clearing, which Remus could now see had a rather large hole in the ground, sloping down into the darkness. "Mr. Lupin, Mrs. Lupin, this is the key to my plan to accommodate Mr. Lupin. This hole is the entrance to a tunnel. The tunnel was built earlier this summer, and it comes out in an abandoned house in Hogsmeade. The house has been boarded up for many years; the villagers don't bother it. My plan is to have you be escorted out to this tunnel each full moon, so you can transform in the safety of the house, far from the school or any of the villagers. In the morning, Madam Pomfrey can come back here, or go to the house, bring you to the hospital wing, treat any injuries you may have sustained, and then you will be free to spend the rest of the day in the dormitory, resting. The next day, you may attend classes as usual. Mr. Lupin, does this sound agreeable?"

"Yes, but how will you keep people away from the house?" Felicia asked.

" I suppose I could convince the villagers that the house is haunted – people tend to leave the rather nasty ghouls alone. I'll work with our Charms Professor to make the house unentrable except from the tunnel entrance."

"But Headmaster, what about the tunnel? Surely students will be wondering where it goes?" Remus asked.

"Ah, yes. A guard on the tunnel. Mr. Lupin, this is why Professor Sprout is so thrilled about you coming to Hogwarts. Not only will she have a new student to teach, but she'll also have a rare specimen to raise and study. Tell me, do you think a willow tree will fit in nicely right here above the tunnel?" Dumbledore responded lightly.

"But – the Salix thingy – it'll be guarding the tunnel? But it's a _tree_. What good will it do to stop someone?"

"Well Mr. Lupin, it is not just a tree, as I said earlier. It is a tree with – shall we say – a temperment problem? I believe that is a good choice of words. You see, _Salix Antagonizicus_ is known in common circles as a Whomping Willow – if someone gets with in range of its branches, it attacks the trespasser. And we'll be getting a nearly fully grown specimen, too, one that, from what I heard, has an added dose of anger." He smiled. "The only way to approach the tree without getting grievously injured is to touch a certain spot on it, usually rather high up on the trunk. I doubt anyone will be able to get through the tree to go down the tunnel. So you see, _you_ are the reason Pomona is getting her tree. She just doesn't know it yet."

"Well... if the tree works like it should… and none of the other students will know, am I correct, Headmaster?" Felicia asked.

""I see no reason to tell the other students myself. Mr. Lupin, it will be up to your discretion to tell your friends and housemates about your condition, or the reasons for your absences. And at present, "Dumbledore heaved a heavy sigh, "I think that the fewer people who know, the better. I believe that the board of governors has not taken a stance at lycanthropes coming to the school mostly because there has never been a Headmaster determined to allow them in. Though it is my discretion who is admitted to the school, the board has the authority to overrule me. However, they have given me a chance, with you, Mr. Lupin. I think that, if all goes well for your first year, you will be a pioneer, opening up new paths for other afflicted with the disease.

"However, if certain parents were to pressure the board, I believe things could turn against us quickly. So it would be in your best interest to keep your illness a secret. Is this acceptable?"

"I… I like it here. I want to go. I'll never breathe a word to another living soul if I have to. Mum, can I go?"

Felicia looked at her son with tears in her eyes. She hugged him tightly, and her words began tumbling out. "Well, we'll have to scrape some money together for the books and supplies… and you'll need a wand, and robes, and we'll have to have an owl, there will just be no way around it now… Of course, you can go Remmy, absolutely!"

Both Remus and his mother had gotten their deepest wishes granted at that moment.When Felicia let he go, he had the first smile on his face since the moment he'd read his Hogwarts letter.

Remus might have floated back to Dumbledore's office, for all he knew. He didn't register anything he saw until he noticed that they were in front of the fireplace, and the flames were already bright green, waiting for them to leave. "Won't you accompany us home, Headmaster, and join us for dinner?" Felicia offered.

Dumbledore smiled an apologetic smile, but declined, saying he had business to take care of – he had brooms to purchase, a tree to acquire, and a new applicant to interview for a vacant position on the teaching staff. Felicia smiled, stepped into the fireplace, and was gone. Remus made to step into the flames, but he turned. "Thank you, Headmaster. I'll see you September first, then?"

"Wait, young man," Dumbledore said gently. "I think I have something for you… Yes, here it is." He pulled a thick, heavy book out of his desk. "I made it a point to aquire this for you – it is yours to keep, I insist, I have a copy for myself. It is a compilation of research from many different wizards throughout the past century and a half regarding lycanthropy. Everything you can imagine, and a few pieces you can't, are included. If there is something you would like to know about the disease, I am almost certain you can find it in there. I also happen to know some of the wizards who contributed to the work. I am of firm belief that if you are facing something you must battle, your best strengths lie in knowing everything about your enemy. I hope it will prove very helpful to you in the years to come."

Remus looked at the book, which felt as if it was a thousand pages. It was titled _Lycanthropy – A Study_. Before he could get the words "Thank you" out of his mouth, though, Dumbledore said "You're welcome. Now go, your mother is getting worried."

Remus John Lupin got another booklist by owl the next morning. He was much happier to send his response back this time. He spent a large amount of time over the next few days reading the book he had been given. His nerves began mounting up after August began, but he still could not wait to leave on the train. Felicia was desperately trying to spend as much time with his as possible, since he wouldn't be home until Christmas break. But the trip to Diagon Alley set both sets of nerves on edge, making it incredbly real that Remus was going to be going away.

Of course, James Potter had no clue why Remus was so quiet, or why Felicia was so jumpy. He just though that they were nervous, being so close, and Remus going so far away.

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Sorry it took so long. Thanks for the review, April-M! I know this isn't such a good chapter, but I wanted a little Remus backstory in there. Plus, it was a good way to get introduced to the teachers.

Never fear, we'll be back in the fanfic present next chappy, and Sirius will even make an appearance! (He's my favorite marauder too . ) Thank you! Keep reviewing, feedback feeds the soul!


	3. Diagon Alley and Dustbins

Chapter 3 – Diagon Alley

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Remus, James, and Felicia arrived in the public grate of Diagon Alley, right next to Gringott's. Felicia took Remus by the hand and led him in, while James followed. James spoke to a goblin named Murkla, the same one he'd spoken to the last time he was there. Ten minutes later he was standing back at the entrance, pockets loaded down with the money to buy his new broomstick, when Felicia and Remus came from the back, Remus looking a little green and stumbling slightly. James smiled. "You got Gonrak, didn't you? He can't drive at all, dad says. He's the oldest one here, you know, and I don't think his eyesight is what it used to be." Remus smiled a little bit as Felicia led them out to the Alley.

Madam Malkin's Robes was their first stop, since Felicia insisted that Remus have some official school robes for school. Madam Malkin was incredibly busy – several other students were already waiting when they arrived. While they were waiting, Felicia looked at fabric samples, and James and Remus tried on various hats and cloaks. James tried on a large yellow hat with feathers that turned out to be still attached to a bird. Remus nearly fell over laughing while the great yellow bird began pecking at James' hair. Madam Malkin rushed over, a trail of pins floating along behind her. "Get off, _get off, you_! I'll never do an order for that old coot again! Blasted Fwooper, this hat is going back in it's cage right _now_!" And with a flick of her wand, the hat and the bird attached to it were both sent flying into a nearby birdcage, the door slammed shut and latched, and a cloth settled over it.

James quickly grabbed a small pile of cloaks and threw them at Remus; a few yelps between laughs told him that they still had some hemming left to do – some of the pins were still in them. At that point, Madam Malkin finished up two of the students and yelled for James and Remus to get on the stool so they could be fitted. Remus was still laughing over James' incident with the bird, and Madam Malkin had to threaten to hex him to make him stand still. Once they were finished being fitted, Remus and James politely took their robes and made their way through the crowd over to Felicia, who was examining some sandstone fabric that was supposed to change colors during sunrise and sunset.

"Some lace on the black vvelvet… This just needs the edges hemmed, it doesn't need anything else…" Felicia was mumbling to herself when she noticed the boys standing next to her. "Remus, dear, I think I'll make a set of dress robes for you for Christmas. I think charcoal grey will suit you wonderfully… I need a new set myself, I always did look beautiful in blue. How would that be?"

"Fine by me. Who're you looking at the sandstone for?"

"Madam Hornsby – she wants flashy, she can have it. I'll have to convince her that she doesn't need lace on everything though. You'll need to wait a little while longer, boys, Abraxas Malfoy has requested something for his wife, so I'll be looking for a bit longer. And I'll need to see Madam Malkin about some thread and self-threading needles. Can you entertain yourselves for, say," she looked at her watch, "half an hour?"

James didn't waste a moment – his chance was finally here! "Er – Ms. Lupin? Maybe we – Remus and I – could go look at owls while you're in here, and we'd both like to see the broomsticks. Could we go now, and you could maybe meet us in front of Flourish and Blotts? We'll not leave Diagon Alley, of course, but I think – " and he glanced at Madam Malkin over his shoulder, who was looking rather ruffled at the thought of Remus and James spending another minute in her shop, "I think Madam Malkin would prefer us somewhere else." He glanced back again. "Yeah, she _definitely_ wants us out of here."

Remus piped up excitedly. "Could we, Mum? We'll stay out of trouble. I will anyway. And I think I could take him if I had to," he added with a grin. James made a noise that sounded a bit like someone sitting down roughly on a cushion, but Felicia waved them off, reminding them to behave.

Once out of the shop, James made a beeline for Quality Quidditch Supplies. Remus followed along quietly, not bothering to ask him what he was up to until James reached the counter.

"I'd like a Nimbus 1001, please sir," said James politely.

The elderly man behind the counter eyed him suspiciously. "And just how do you expect to pay for such a model, junior?" he growled. When James pulled his money pouch out from his backpack, the old man just glared. "Aha, swiped some Galleons, I see. Plucking purses off little old witches, I suppose? Or bullying children for snack money?"

"_Or_, I could have just gotten it out of Gringott's with my key," said James cooly. "Don't suppose you could get that broomstick, could you? Or should I take my business elsewhere? I'm sure anyone else would be happy to sell me one."

The old man growled a bit, but he shuffled off to the back room. Remus stepped up next to James. "How on earth can you afford that? D'you know how much a Nimbus _costs_? When did you get all that gold? You didn't have it when we Floo'ed here, I'd have heard it rattling," he hissed.

"Forty-five Galleons and six Knuts, exactly, and if it's a Knut more I'll scream like a banshee, I promise you. And yes, I do know how much it costs, how do you think I knew how much to bring? And I got it while you and your mum were with Gonrak in Gringott's, I had my key on me. I can't believe this guy thinks I've been shaking down kids and little old ladies. He can't get away with bullying kids around like that, it's bad business. Just 'cause I've been saving – " James said hotly.

"Well, you'd better watch your mouth around him – he could probably hex you into oblivion by the time you could say 'broomstick.' I wouldn't mess with him without a wand. And a pack of trolls, mind."

The old man shuffled back into view, carrying a broomstick with the Nimbus logo emblazoned on the handle. James had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. "Forty-five Galleons, six Knuts, please, junior," the old man growled, obviously upset by the fact that James had neither admitted to robbing little old witches nor tried to run out of the shop without paying. James gently took the broom into his hands, testing the weight of it, before giving a polite "Thank you" and walking out of the shop with Remus in tow.

James couldn't contain his excitement any longer than necessary. As soon as the shop door closed, he broke out in chatter instantly. "One hundred miles an hour in twelve seconds! I've been wanting one since they came out, I've just never been able to get in there and shell out the gold, Dad'll be thrilled, Mum – well, Dad'll be thrilled for the both of them, I suppose. Boy I wish I could take this to school, I'll have to wait'll Christmas break to fly on it and really break it in, I can't wait!"

Remus waited patiently for James to finish, or at the very least, pause to take a breath, before he spoke. "I'd love to have a go on it when you get a chance, but I'd probably get sick just getting it off the ground. I get sick in the goblin carts."

"So does everyone else who rides with Gonrak – don't worry about it. I'll let you fly on it, probably about five seconds after I get it home. Oh, hey, we'll get flying lessons second week, first years all do. It's a feeling you have to get used to, I guess. I've been on broomsticks since I was three, Dad always took me. He gave me his old one, but it's almost worthless above fifteen feet, that's why I wanted a new one."

"But _this_ one? The _forty-five Galleon_ one?" Remus asked skeptically.

"Well, it's a competition standard, and I want somehting that'll last for a long while – some of the original Nimbuses are still flying like new, the Comets lose their braking power after a few years of average use, and Cleansweeps have a habit of pulling to one side… and I thought I'd look cool on it, y'know?"

"Well, maybe if you started shivering…"

"Prat," James said, but he was smiling. "Right, we need to get on getting this home, hadn't we?"

"And you have plans for that, too, huh?"

"Plenty. But this one has been in the works for a long time. I'm going to mail it. So simple, it's brilliant, don'cha think? I just need somewhere to mail it to… Does anyone live in that house across the road for you?" The boys had just reached the post office, and the door opened for them as they walked up to it.

"Not since we've lived there, no. You're going to send it there? I think it leaks, it won't be a very good spot if rain comes in," Remus pointed out.

"Good point, mate. You can get it for me when it comes in." At the look of shock on Remus' face, James waved his hnd. "Oh, come on, just sneak over there one morning, let Brax go for a longer flight than usual or something, sneak in, and… and… well, I'll fill in that part later. What's the address?"

Remus was moving his mouth, but he couldn't say anything. He was fine being a witness to this sneaky act, but getting involved was more than he'd bargained for. "I… I don't know… Mum will wonder where I got a broomstick, 'specially such a good one…"

"I'll figure out something for you to hide it in. I'll even let you have the first ride on it, sound fair?"

"All right, I guess. Don't expect me to lie to my mum if she catches me, though. The address is 34 Broadmoor Buckle. I mean it, I won't lie to her. She'd probably see right through me anyway. Blimey, you've already got me sneaking around behind her back, I haven't even known you for half a day yet."

"Father Potter always said, 'A little mischief is good for a body. Keeps the mind sharp, and the heart light.' I'll take the full blame for it if you get caught, your Mum can blame me till she's blue in the face for coercing you, you want to help, I can tell. There, finished."

James put the finishing touches on the address label, then placed his broom on the scale on the counter. Brown packaging paper spun round the broom, wrapping it snugly, and then string came up from out of nowhere to tie it up. The boys strolled up to the clerk behind the payment counter, and James ordered two-day delivery service, with the Reliable Owl option. "Don't want this to be lost, do you, son?" the clerk joked. James hugged the brrom one last time, then let the clerk levitate it out of the room and into the pending shipments area.

Once they left the post office, James still wanted to go to Gambol and Japes, the wizarding joke shop. Remus examined the Dr. Filibuster Fireworks while James looked through the books until he found what he wanted – _1001 Pranks for Mischief and Mayhem Makers_. He paid for it, telling Remus that he needed to have something to read at school besides textbooks. While they walked toward Eeylops Owl Emporium, James flipped through the book, but once they arrived and Remus had glued his nose to the window, James tucked the book in his pocket, and started studying the passersby.

Remus noticed him before James did. Two boys with jet-black hair, one about Remus and James' ages, one a few years younger, were in Eeylops with what looked like their parents, an aging woman with gaunt hands, pale, sickly skin, and long fingernails, like claws, and a slightly younger man with the same jet-black hair as his sons, but a much thinner, bonier face and smaller eyes. The window was too thick for them to hear what was going on, but the younger boy was hanging on his mother, who was evidently yelling at the older boy. The older boy looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was standing, and the father looked as though he was somewhere else – his face was expressionless, and he was staring off into space. The older boy was arguing with his mother, and putting up a very good, and apparently loud, fight. Eventually his mother pointed to a sleek horned owl, paid for it, and the family left. As they were moving to the door, Remus and James saw the shopkeeper tie a tag on the cage of the owl.

When the door opened, Remus and James couldn't tell if the family had noticed them watching them through the window. The mother was still yelling at her older son, who was shouting back just as loudly.

"You'll have an owl if I say you'll have an owl, damn you – "

"I don't _care_! I don't want an owl, that just means I'll have to talk to _you_ lot! Why in bloody hell would I want to do _that_?"

"You watch your mouth, young man, I will not tolerate – "

"Can't watch it, it's below my nose," the boy said smugly.

"Fine, you ungrateful little brat, you'll stand right here and _I'll_ get your books – and you have to stay with your little brother," she added with a sneer.

The boy had been looking fairly smug about being told to stay put, though he groaned loudly when she told him to watch his little brother. The little boy, who was leaning against his father, looked startled for a moment, and he went over to his mother, who bent down so he could whisper something in her ear.

"Yes, Regulus, dearie, you need to stay here. The shops are much too crowded, and you might get lost. You have to stay with your brother."

At this, the little boy and the older boy both started pleading with their father.

"Dad, don't make him stay with me, take him with you, he just whines and cries and gets me in trouble!"

"Dad, don't make me stay with him, he's always mean to me, and he never pays any attention to me!"

The father just kept starng off, his eyes unfocused. "Whatever your mother says, boys," he said in a defeated, exhausted voice.

The parents ambled away, both boys looking distraught. The younger boy started to pout, while the older one started walking along the alley, stopping at each dustbin. Remus and James followed, watching the older boy. He studied each dustbin they passed, looked at his little brother, (they had the same eyes, James noticed), then looked back at the dustbin, and then shook his head.

James' curiosity got the better of his patience. "What are you doing?" he asked politely. The older boy looked up, just noticing that James and Remus were right there.

"Checking the dustbins."

"Ummm… Any particular reason?" Remus asked tentatively.

"Got to find just the right sized one. Short enough I can stuff _Regulus-dearie_ into it, but tall enough he can't climb back out. See if his _Mummy_ loves him covered in garbage." The younger boy pulled back a little.

"Not just his mummy, you inherited her set of lungs apparently," James quipped.

"Yeah, well mine are better anyway. She's just like that because she hit the wine bottles before we left. When she's sober enough to stand, she's usually too concerned about what everyone else would think of the _noble house of Black_ to scream at me like that in public. We couldn't even Floo over here today, she's so toasted. We had to walk, like _'filthy, common Muggles.'_ "

"You can't be serious."

"It's not the given name that bugs me, it's being a Black that irritates the hell out of me," the boy said.

James made a face for a second, trying to work out what he'd said. The older boy cracked a grin. "My name's Sirius, mate. Just about my favorite joke. _Mummy_ says I'm a smartass."

Rmeus recognized the name at once. "Your dad – his name's Orion, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. He named me. I'm named after his grandfather and him. _Sirius Orion Black_. I'm an S.O.B." He grinned. "How do you know my father?"

"My mum makes clothes – dress robes, usually. He's bought some things from her before. You don't like him much, either?"

"Well, he's not as bad as Mum, he's sober, but he's still from the same family line. They're second cousins, arranged marriage," he added quickly in response to the face James pulled. "I can't stand any of 'em, personally. I can't wait for Hogwarts to start, and I'll be free for ten straight months."

"You're going to Hogwarts too, then?" James asked. "We're starting in the fall too, maybe we'll be in the same house. You got any preferences yet?"

"Well, if I get sorted into Slytherin, I'll pack up my trunk and go home. All of my family's been there, and I have a cousin starting her last year there in that house. I couldn't live with the shame. I mean it, I'll go home first. What about you?"

James answered immediately. "My dad was in Gryffindor, and Mum was a Ravenclaw. I'd rather be in Gryffindor, Mum said the Ravenclaw tower wasn't very comfortable, looked a lot more like a library than a common room. I'll be a lion, I think. I'm James Potter, by the way. Remus, what about you?"

"Well, Dumbledore said I might make a good Ravenclaw – "

"_What?_ You've met _Dumbledore_? Already? How?" James sputtered. Sirius just stared. Regulus sat down on the ground and pouted more.

"Well…. I was a special case… Wasn't really sure if I could go… He had to convince my mum to let me go… special case…" Remus mumbled a little bit more, while James shook his head in disbelief.

"You know the headmaster… I can't believe this. Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"Well, I've known you all of about – " Remus looked at his watch " – ninety minutes, so it hadn't quite crossed my mind just yet."

Sirius spoke up, "You've met Dumbledore, huh? Cool. At least he's a good one, my great-great-grandfather was a Headmaster at Hogwarts too, but everyone hated him. His portrait's still hanging at home – he keeps telling me to sit up straight and not mouth off. I tell him to take a hike, but he always comes back. Annoying old git. Probably one of the most famous Slytherins since the Bloody Baron."

"Who?" Regulus was interested now.

"He's the resident ghost of Slytherin house."

"Why's he called the Bloody Baron?"

"Cause he's a Baron, and he's covered in blood." Remus made a face.

"Why's he bloody?"

"Cause he killed an annoying little squirt like you, and it gfot messy, damn it, _shut up_!" Regulus sat down and pouted again. Sirius whispered to James and Remus, "I don't care what house I'm in, so long as I don't have to share it with him when he starts. Two years," he added.

All three boys looked up when Felicia called out to them. "Remus, let's hurry, we need to get to the Apothecary, and Ollivander's, and did you pick out an owl yet?"

Remus and James said goodbye to Sirius, just as his mother came up to them. Regulus started crying about Sirius and the bigger boys trying to stuff him in a dustbin, and James distinctly heard "blood disgraces" and "riff-raff" in the very loud conversation that followed.

Remus hurried over to the Apothecary with his mother, and they bought a set of basic Potions supplies, plus Felicia picked up some ingredients for her fabrics. "I have a potion for making sure the colors don't fade or run and an Anti-Shrinking solution – I'm runnning low on supplies for both," she explained.

Ollivanders was next – Remus picked up a maple wand with dragon heartstring, ten and three quarter inches – and then, finally, Eeylops. Remus picked out a beautiful great gray owl – "He'll need to be big if you're going to send me clothes all the time, Mum" Remus reasoned – and they began walking back to the public grates. Felicia asked Remus what they did while she was busy at Madam Malkins, and James cut in, chattering about the Quidditch Supplies store and stopping in Gambol and Japes and meeting Sirius and Regulus. Once they all arrived back at the Lupin household, James offered to help Remus pack his things away while Felicia got herself ready for her four o'clock appointment.

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Sorry it took so long! I like this chapter – I included more dialogue this time, and I worked little Reggie in there. This is how I saw the two Black boys, and I tried to use the description from book 5 for Sirius' mother.

Next chapter should have the Hogwarts express in it and maybe the sorting. Expect to see Lily and Peter, and maybe a glimpse of Snape. Maybe.

Be sure to review! I love 'em, love 'em all!


	4. The Last Weekend

Chapter 4 –

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James' first move when they got up to Remus' room was to help Remus pack his things as quickly as possible, not an easy task since Remus kept flipping through the schoolbooks and pausing to read them.

"Clothes in trunk first, where's all the robes, Remus?"

"Goblin rebellion of 1863 – wow, look at what they did to the wizard negotiator!

"More robes… where's his cauldron… Remus, a little help, mate? I need to be _leaving_ soon!"

"Well, I'll pack it then, why are you packing my stuff anyway, Jamesy?" Remus smirked.

"Don't call me that – and because when your mum comes up here to find out if we've packed later on, you can tell her we did, but right now I've got something important to _tell _you, come on and _help_!" Remus finally got the point, and he started tossing things in the trunk as well. When most everything was packed, James flopped down on the bed. Remus thumped down next to him.

"Now what was this thing you wanted to tell me?"

"How we're going to get the broom from next door to me."

"Worked something out already, did you?"

"I had it worked out ages ago – you want to spend the night tonight?"

"Where, at your house?" Remus was slightly taken aback, being invited over so soon. "I suppose… If Mum's alright with it…"

"Good. We'll ask your mum if you can. Tomorrow, we'll get up early and get the broomstick after breakfast. I'll tell my folks that we're playing down by the creek – it's south of here, I saw it when I came over today. Mum will love you, I don't have many friends who actually _want_ to behave. And when we get the broom, you can ride it first, I know I promised. There's so much space out there that no one will see us."

"Mum may not like it, you know – "

"May not like what, Remus?" Felicia had just poked her head in the door.

"Well, James asked, um, I mean, we wanted to know, if I, um – "

"Spit it out, Remmy," James said. He turned to Felicia. "Can Remus spend the night at my house tonight? He's almost all packed, and he'd be back tomorrow evening at the latest. You can even meet my parents tonight when I go home, if you want."

She didn't know why, but seeing the boys together gave Felicia a feeling of relief, even though she felt anxious about the thought of Remus staying over. She was concerned that Remus' quiet personality and shyness would mean he wouldn't make many friends. Now he had one already, and he wasn't due to leave for two more days. She just hoped the friendship would last. _No point in putting off the inevitable – this is the first of many nights he'll be staying away from home_. And _he's staying at a friend's house!_ "Remus, I want to meet the Potters tonight, and introduce myself. And then, yes, you may spend the night. But you will be home tomorrow evening for dinner – it will be your last night at home until term break, and I need plenty of time to cry over my _little bitty baby all grown up_!"

Remus blushed, and James fell off the bed laughing.

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Sirius Black spent most of the evening in his room, courtesy of his little brother telling their mother all about the dustbin remark. He spent his time going through his spellbooks, trying to find something low level to make his brother (or his mother) be quiet. He found a handy spell for conjuring fire, and one for locking doors that he wanted to test on his room, but his attention wandered to his window, and he stared at the night sky. He wanted to wander, but he knew his mother would be coming up to makee sure he was still in his room. He'd let himself get caught sneaking out just enough for her to have to come up the stairs and physically check that he was there, but not so much that she'd put charms on the windows and door. His goal was to make it such an inconvenience to check on him that she'd eventually quit trying to keep him in. He felt he was quite close to succeeding, but it would take another year or two, with school getting in the way.

Sirius preferred his room to any other room in the house, mostly because he wasn't bothered by anyone when he was in there. His brother wasn't brave enough, his mother wasn't usually willing to make the effort to climb the stairs, and his father didn't have too much to do with him. Sirius was very much a loner, and he preferred it that way. He started packing his trunk at midnight; he would have happily left right then if he had the choice.

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Remus and James went to the Potter residence for dinner. Emily made a delicious meal for everyone, and Felicia spent most of the evening discussing fabrics and the trials of keeping clean clothes on a young boy. Remus brought his things up to James' room and unpacked, and James showed him his collection of Quidditch magazines. Remus came down to kiss his mother good-bye, and the boys spent half the night eating Every Flavor Beans and talking about Quidditch. When they finally bedded down for the night, James went to sleep thinking of his new broomstick, and Remus drifted off, as grateful for his new friend as James was for his new racing broom.

The next morning, James roused Remus out of his sleeping bag early, to grab a very quick breakfast, get dressed, and hurry off to meet his broom. Breakfast was cereal with juice, and they raced out the door and down the road. They slid down the bank on the far side of the road and crept low to the ground as they approached Remus's house, so that Felicia wouldn't see them, and Remus held open the back window while James scrambled in to find his broom. A few minutes later, James emerged from the window, clutching a tightly wrapped package, and covered in dust.

The boys backtracked along the bank until they were clear of any parents, and then they shot south, towards the creek. Once they crossed the creek into the open field beyond, James gleefully unwrapped his Nimbus. It gleamed in the sunshine, and both boys stared at it in awe.

Finally, Remus broke the silence. "Well, let's give it a go then, huh? Haven't got all day, you know."

James shook his head, like he was just waking up, and said, "Well, get on, then, you get to go first."

Remus felt awkward climbing on the broom at first – he hadn't really had much experience with brooms before. James showed him how to hold his hands, so that he had the most control, and James coached him as he hovered around over the ground, getting the feel of the braking. Within fifteen minutes he was much more comfortable on the broom. "You'll be great at school, you just need to relax and loosen up a little – you might even make the house Quidditch team if you keep at it!" James yelled from below.

When Remus finished his ride, James took the broom and put it through its paces. He sped across the filed, heels just skimming the top of the grass, nudging the broom faster and faster until he was a blur. He threw the broom into a sharp climb, nearly vertical, until the broom completely stalled, then he swept it down into a tight dive, pulling out just in time to avoid slamming into the ground. As he sped past Remus, he could hear him cheering and yelling. Finally, after pushing the broom (and his stomach) as far as it would go, he brought the broom to a stop, flopped off of it, and landed on the ground, gasping for air. Remus sat down beside him. "Was it worth it?" he asked.

"Every last knut."

"Is it as fast as it looks?"

"I think I left my shadow behind a few times back there, so, yeah, definitely."

They spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns on the broom. James taught Remus some of the finer skills of broom handling, and in between lessons, he would zoom around the edge of the field, delighting in the handling and the thrill of the speed. As the sun started dropping down below the horizon, they started off toward James' house. James flew his broom in through his bedroom window, then jumped out to the ground again, landing like a cat.

Felicia, Harrison, and Emily couldn't figure out for the life of them what the boys did all day that had wiped them out completely. James was unusually quiet at the dinner table that evening, and he went straight to bed afterward. Remus was quite talkative, though he looked completely exhausted (and he sounded a bit hoarse). The adults just assumed it was nerves about going to Hogwarts the next day that had them so wound up.

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Apologies section:

A month ago today, my mom was in a horrible car accident (Jun 12-06). She's OK, but she spent 3 weeks in the hospital, so that meant that I spent 3 weeks away from my computers (all three of them...) And yesterday, I cranked most of this story out after work, in about 3-4 hours. So it's pretty shoddy, I admit. And short. I'll probably do this one over. Just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I haven't been updating, and I'm sorry that this chapter is so awful (don't lie, I know it is), and I'm sorry that I still haven't gotten them on the bleeping train. Next chappy (which won't be 6 weeks from now.)

Begging for reviews section:

Be sure to review! I love 'em, love 'em all!

You don't have to review this chapter though. It's awful. I know.

KJ


	5. Riding on a Train

Chapter 5 – Packing Up and Heading Out

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The next day was a hectic one, as anyone could have guessed. The train left platform 9 ¾ at eleven o'clock, and the Black, Lupin, and Potter households were in various states of disarray.

With the fewest people, Felicia and Remus had the easiest time getting organized – they weren't tripping over one another constantly, and it helped that Remus had packed all his things Friday afternoon. He fed Circe, his owl, and covered his cage for the Floo trip to King's Cross, and he placed his wand very carefully in its box, so it wouldn't get damaged in his backpack. Brax was wrapped up in tissue paper and placed in the trunk, and Remus was all packed. He was nervous, but mostly at the fact that he would be living away from home; he wasn't so nervous about making friends, since he knew James was going to be there.

The Potters were having a bit more difficulty getting everything together. James was up at dawn to finish packing his things, and by seven o'clock, he was finished. He had convinced his mother to charm the inside of his trunk so that it expanded to hold all of his things, including his broomstick. He'd decided the night before, while laying in bed, that he would much rather have it with him, than at home where his parents might find it. It was sitting near the top of the trunk, under a few layers of clothing and wrapped up in his invisibility cloak, so no one would see if they popped open the lid. His fist goal at school would be to master a locking charm, so no one could open his trunk except him. His only problem once he had packed was that he couldn't lift the trunk. He had to ask Harrison to move it down to the parlor, so it would be ready when they wsent to King's Cross. They would be flooing, too, and they'd arranged to meet Felicia and Remus at the main entrance at ten o'clock.

The house at number 12, Grimmauld Place, London was nothing short of chaos by nine o'clock that morning. Walpurga and Orion had both woke up late to Regulus screaming for his breakfast. By the time they were both in the kitchen, the house-elf Kreacher was cooking sausages and eggs, and Sirius was screaming down the stairs for Regulus to shut up. Walpurga stumbled up the stairs to bring Sirius' things down – they were going to walk to the station, though Orion would apparate with the trunk. But as she waved her wand and levitated the trunk down the hall, she stumbled and her wand hand went askew, sending the trunk bouncing down to the landing below.

Sirius swore, and then Walpurga swore at Sirius, and then another screaming match broke out, Sirius snarling at his mother for being "too bloody hung over to walk," and Walpurga firing back about his language and disrespecting her. Finally, Sirius turned around in a huff and started repacking his things, checking to make sure nothing had been broken.

In the end, he didn't get breakfast, due to the little accident on the stairs, and he needed a new set of potions ingredients – his had been smashed. So Orion apparated to Diagon Alley to buy a new set, while Sirius stormed about the house, gathering up all his last minute items and mumbling unintelligibly about his family. By ten-thirty, Orion had returned with the potions kit, so Sirius was finally set to leave. Walpurga marched him out the door and down the walk towards the station, with Regulus in tow.

The Potters and the Lupins met at the main entrance of King's Cross Station at ten o'clock, like they'd planned. The boys had their carts loaded and ready to move. They wheeled their carts ahead a bit of the adults, who were whispering animatedly amongst themselves. Remus checked his ticket first.

"Platform 9 ¾. James, does that sound normal to you? A ¾ platform? "

"Well, of course it isn't normal, dummy. We can't be loading owls and wands and stuff on the train right in front of the Muggles, now could we? They're not _that_ dense. Dad says we have to find the platform, that it's somewhere in King's Cross. He says it's the last test before we go to Hogwarts, to make sure we're smart enough."

"Um, okay. So how do we _find_ this partial platform? Where would they hide it?"

"Probably in plain sight. That's how wizards do things – it's something small, that a Muggle wouldn't pay any attention to. We'll have to look. The ticket says 9 ¾, right? So we need to look somewhere between platforms nine and ten."

The boys wandered over to platform nine, and started looking around. "All I see is people," said Remus. "There's no way they can hide a platform where no one could see it."

"Maybe only wizards can see it," James said slowly, looking around the station again.

"No, then we'd be able to, wouldn't we? It's something else…" A thoughtful look spread across his face. "Well, they can't hide it above, or below – Muggles would notice someone flying up to the ceiling, and there wouldn't be a practical way to get through the floor… Three-quarters… three-quarters… An in-between platform…Hmmmm…." He looked at the barrier marking the division between the platforms. "James… what if it's really simple? Like _between the platforms_?" He ran up to the barrier and placed his hand up against it. It went right through the seemingly solid brick. Remus grinned. "Guess at least _I'll_ be able to go to Hogwarts, mate," he laughed.

"Quiet, you," James grumbled.

The two boys wheeled their carts through the barrier, and onto the platform ahead.

A great, scarlet steam engine was puffing away, waiting to take off. Behind the boys, where the barrier had been, a large, ornate, wrought-iron archway stood. Felicia, Emily, and Harrison came through the next minute, laughing and clapping. "Well, boys, looks like you can go to Hogwarts after all – good show, Remus! You'll do well in Ravenclaw," cheered Harrison, clapping the boys on their backs.

"Lets get you two settled on the train, so we don't get run over with traffic," Felicia suggested, as a cart laden with two trunks stacked precariously on one another barely missed her. "Would you two like a compartment in the back, or up front?"

But Remus and James were far too interested in their surroundings to reply. Owls were hooting and screeching to and at one another from their cages, children and adults of all ages were milling around, some in robes, some in casual Muggle clothes, and some in what they probably thought _passed_ for Muggle clothing. Most of the children their age looked nervous – a few looked like they would be sick. Cats were hissing and growling and mewling nonstop, younger children were crying as they hugged their older siblings, older children were yelling over the din, and the hissing of the steam engine provided background noise for it all.

Sirius Black arrived at the station at the ten minutes till, in a better mood than when he left. Regulus had stomped in a puddle and soaked his mother's dress, which had improved Sirius' disposition considerably. Sirius had been told about the trick to getting on the platform by his older cousin Bellatrix, who was entering her final year at Hogwarts. She had agreed (though somewhat reluctantly) to keep Sirius company on the train, so he wouldn't mix with the "wrong people." Sirius was none to happy about this arrangement, but he chose not to argue, since his mother wouldn't be there to stop him to begin with.

At five of the hour, they crossed through the barrier into the menagerie that James and Remus had found ten minutes prior. Orion met them at the barrier and bewitched Sirius' trunk so that it would be light enough for Sirius to move by himself. He clapped Sirius in the back, wished him a good year, and then disapparated on the spot. Walpurga, disgusted with the fact that Bellatrix was nowhere to be found, and still upset that Sirius had laughed so heartily at her dress getting muddy, gave him a very stiff peck on the cheek and a firm hug, before stepping away. Regulus threw his arms around his big brother, who whispered in his ear, "_Don't even think about sneaking in my room, you little prat – my pet monsters will eat you alive!_" Regulus pulled back quickly and hid next to his mother, looking frightened. Sirius pulled his trunk onto the train, waved, and ducked down the corridor, dragging his trunk along.

As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he heard a familiar, rather unwelcome voice. "Sirius, where were you? I waited ages for you. Come in, sit with us." A heavy-lidded girl with sallow skin, frizzy black hair, and cold, gray eyes was standing in the hallway behind him. A smaller, younger blonde-haired girl with same eyes and a scowl on her face poked her head out of the door the frizzy-haired girl was standing in front of. The two girls were his cousins – Bellatrix was the older one, and Narcissa was the blonde with the scowl – she was starting her third year at Hogwarts. Both of them were in Slytherin.

"I said I'd meet some of my friends, sorry," Sirius yelled, walking down the aisle.

"I promised your mother! And you can meet Rodolphus! Sirius, come on, get over here!" she yelled, but Sirius kept walking. "Fine, ungrateful little prat!" she screamed after him. "Slytherin forever!"

"That's nice, Trixie!" Sirius called back. He startwed looking in the compartments as he passed, trying to find one that wasn't full. He would have rather spent his entire ride on the roof rather than in the compartment with his cousins and Bellatrix's beau, and it was beginning to look like he just might.

He finally came to the last compartment, and he took a deep breath and looked in. James and Remus were sitting by themselves, talking animatedly. Sirius knocked, and motioned for one of them to open the door.

Remus hopped up and pulled the door open, and Sirius hauled his trunk inside. "Thanks, mate. It's Remus, right? And James?" When both boys nodded, he smiled. "Can I join you? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure thing, Sirius. We're discussing Quidditch. Who do you like for the League Cup this year? Remus here," he gestured, "thinks that the Pride of Portree will have it, but I think that he hit his head getting up this morning. It just has to be the Falmouth Falcons."

"Well, the Falcons will win it this year," said Sirius, sitting down next to Remus. James smirked at Remus until Sirius continured, "provided the other teams take a vacation. The Montrose Magpies will win it, mark my words – MacFarlan trained them too well before he cut out. They're unstoppable."

"But you can't count the Prides out yet; they had a good start, they'll have a good finish. Besides, Catriona McCormack is a great strategist – she'll bring them back around," Remus argued.

And so they discussed their favorite teams until the lanterns flickered on in the aisle.

Late into the ride, the clouds rolled in outside, and a heavy rain took over the sky. The lantern in the compartment lit up as the train got darker. The boys jumped with a start when someone rapped on the compartment door.

"Sirius, dear, time to put your robes on, we'll soon be at the station," said Bellatrix as she pulled open the door. She looked at Remus and James and sneeredat them both, then said, "Come along now, you need to hurry." She shut the door and walked back up the train.

As soon as James judged she was out of earshot, he looked at Sirius. "You _know_ that creature? Is she half-hag or something?"

Remus glared at James, but Sirius laughed. "It's OK, but yeah, she's my cousin. I think she's ugly, too. Can you believe she's got a _boyfriend_?"

James stared. "Someone actually likes _that_? _Yeeeech!_"

Remus glared at James again. "We'd better get ready. I think the train is slowing down. We need to be in our robes when we get there."

Soon after the boys had changed, the train slowed to a halt. Someone's voice rang through the train, telling them to leave their trunks, and they would be taken to their rooms. The boys filed off the train and out onto the station, trying to see through the driving rain. Another voice yelled directly above them, "Firs' years over here! Firs' years!"

At first, Sirius, Remus, and James couldn't see where the voice was coming from exactly. Then a lantern popped up, and James stepped back. "Who are you?" he asked incredulously. He was speaking to a bearded man, nearly twelve feet tall, holding a lantern the size of a dustbin.

"Name's Hagrid. Gamekeeper here a' Hogwarts. You a firs' year, are yeh? Yeh get a special trip to the school, 'stead o' the carriages."

And as he spoke, James heard wheels creaking and squishing through the mud, which meant that the other students were on their way to the school.

Finally, all the first years were on the platform, gathered around Hagrid and soaking wet. "All righ' then, lets go," he said, and he pushed his way through the crowd to the edge of the platform, then onto a slippery path leading down a steep hill. James, Sirius, and Remus stayed closed together, whispering and wondering about their "special ride." Finally, as they rounded the last bend and the path leveled out, they saw a grand castle, all aglow upon a cliff overlooking a massive, inky lake. Boats were waiting on the shore. Hagrid made his way over to one, climbed in, and said, "What are yeh waitin' fer? Get in!"

It was obvious what they were waiting for: the trees over the path had kept them from getting soaked any further; on the lake, they would be out in the rain once more. James was the first to grab a boat. He leapt into the one closest to Hagrid's. Sirius and Remus followed, along with a watery-eyed smaller boy they hadn't met. Once everyone was in, Hagrid yelled, "FORWARD!" and the boats moved slowly across the lake.

No one spoke; they were still in awe of the castle, and of course, Hagrid. They sailed into a tunnel directly beneath the castle, and soon the boats were bumping and scraping onto a beach of pebbles and rocks. They made their way up a passage led by Hagrid's lantern, until they stepped onto the soaked grass right in front of the castle doors. Hagrid knocked three times on the large wooden doors, and witch opened them to welcome them inside.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."


	6. The Sorting

A/N: I apologize to anyone who's been checking their emails and for the past umpteen weeks hoping I'd updated this story – I haven't been. I've had a few massive personal projects that I've had to take care of. I'll hopefully have a little more time in the near future to do some more work – I'm in a play this winter, and the rehearsal schedule is late enough that I'll be able to squeeze in some quality time with my laptoppie between work and rehearsals.

I also plan to start going through the other past chapters and working out the glaring spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors that are there. Other goals include getting this story, along with my others, (I have a small handful that aren't on up on my own website (which I'm not posting a link to yet, sincer there's really nothing there right now). I've got lots of great ideas for this story, but most of them are for the later years, so I have to get there first.

And finally… they're getting sorted today! I'm going into multiple POV's in this chapter,

Chapter 6 – The Sorting

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The witch who greeted them was wearing dark green robes and had her black hair pulled tight in a fierce bun. She led everyone from the entrance they were standing in down a long stone hallway toward a large set of doors. She walked briskly – some of the smaller students had to jog to keep up. The witch stopped at the doors and turned around.

"I am Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. Through this door is the Great Hall. All of your fellow students are waiting for you. You will walk through this door and into the front of the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. After the sorting, the start-of-term feast will begin.

"We have four houses at Hogwarts, named for the four founders of the school: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. Your house is like your family here; your will share dormitories, meals, and classes together. You may earn points for your house or lose them, depending on your behavior. At the end-of-year feast, the House with the most points is awarded the house cup – an exceptional honor. We expect you all to represent your house, both on Hogwarts grounds and off. The Sorting will begin soon. I suggest you attempt to organize yourselves in a line by last name, and do try to straighten out your clothes and hair. I will return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

She left, and immediately everyone started buzzing. Sirius nudged James. "I'm in front – probably the first to go – good luck mate." James grinned at him, and he grinned back before slipping though the crowd to get near the door.

Remus stayed rooted to the spot. He looked a very pale shade of green. "_I'm not ready for this – I'm not ready for this_," he kept repeating in a whisper.

James clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine, Remus, just breathe. Repeatedly."

He grinned. Remus shot him a dirty look. "Fix your hair," he said, "you look like you got hit by lightning."

James ran his fingers through his hair, knowing it wouldn't do any good. His hair hadn't sat flat since he was a baby, so it wasn't likely to start right then, either. He spent his time looking around at the other students. A scrawny boy with greasy hair brushed past him, headed toward the back of the group. He caught sight of a large black boy standing near the scrawny boy – he looked even more hunched over and sickly in comparison.

Sirius was up at the front of the line, looking calm. Right behind him was a pretty red-headed girl who was looking completely unnerverd. James craned his neck to get a better look at her when someone stepped on his foot. James yelped in pain as a watery-eyed pudgy boy with wispy blonde hair jumped back and apologized profusely. "I'm Peter P-P-Pettigrew – am I in the rigtht place in the line?" James nodded, trying not to put any wieght on his sore foot and still keep his balance.

The door opened, and Professor McGonagall motioned them to file in. Everyone was silent in the entire room, and the walk across the room seemed to take much longer than it should have. Harrison had told James that the Sorting was very simple and painless, but James wasn't so sure. Peter, who was right in front of James, squeaked with anxiety on every step. Once the line stopped moving, everyone turned to face the rest of the students. James started shifting his weight from foot to foot. _What are they expecting, a song and dance?_ He stole a glance at Remus, and saw that he was a shade of green very similar to the grass outside. Up the line, the red-headed girl was staring at the ceiling determinedly. Even Sirius Black seemed to be losing his cool; he was shifting about nervously. On the other end of the line, the scrawny boy was staring at the ground. Most of the other students were smiling nervously or finding interesting spots on the wall to stare at.

James was starting to think that maybe he should be doing something, anything, when Professor McGonagall came back through the door with a wooden 3-legged stool and a battered old wizard's hat. She sat the the hat on the stool, then stepped to the front of the line of new students. All the older students were staring at the old hat, like they expected a trick or something. And then the hat opened up its brim and _spoke_.

_A thousand years ago or so_

_In ancient Britian rule,_

_Four powerful wizards chose to go_

_And build the land a school._

_Ravenclaw brought her quick wit_

_As fast as locksmith's latch;_

_Hufflepuff we can't forget - _

_Her loyalty had no match._

_Gryffindor with his brave, brave soul,_

_Courage embodied was he;_

_And Slytherin's honor was above all others_

_As clean as it could be._

_These four who were so strong and smart_

_Founded these four walls_

_Their favored traits would play a part_

_In each student's living halls._

_Gryffindor wanted all the brave_

_Hufflepuff wanted the true_

_The finest minds Ravenclaw saved_

_And Slytherin took the pure._

_Now I was Gryffindor's favorite hat_

_And I place the students now._

_I'm the Sorting Hat, so sit down and chat,_

_And we'll see who gets you now!_

All the first year students applauded with everyone else – the singing hat was quite a marvel. Professor McGonagall unrolled a piece of parchment (that she didn't have before) and began to read off names – as each student was called forth, he or she sat down on the stool and put on the Sorting Har The hat yelled out which house the student was in.

Sirius was the second student called.

_"Oho there, boy, you're a Black, I can tell. I know where you're going!" _Sirius jumped when the hat whispered in his ear.

_Hat, If you put me in Slytherin, I'll use you for a dust mop, I swear! _Sirius thought.

_"You shouldn't swear, young man, it's a nasty habit – now where should I put you then? You're quite loyal, but too much of a troublemaker for Hufflepuff… Not smart enough for Ravenclaw, let's face it… You know, Slytherin would be good for you, young man,"_ the hat said.

Siriuys though so hard his hands gripped the stool. _"I'm not going in Slytherin! Anywhere my family is can't be good for me, and if you put me there, I'll soak you in one of those Muggle contraptions they use to clean their laundry! I'm not going!"_

_"Fine then… Watch out though.. You'll need to keep your wits about you in _GRYFFINDOR!!" The hat shouted so loudly that the entire hall could hear. Sirius jumped up, placed the hat on the stool, grinned at it and everyone else in the line, then stepped over to the Gryffindor table, where everyone was cheering. Sirius sneaked a glance back toward the Slytherin table, where Bellatrix was sitting in shock. She met his eyes and glared at him. Sirius just smiled.

A few more students went to face the hat – two girls who became a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin, a boy who became the second Ravenclaw of the night, and then the red-headed girl. James heard her last name, but Peter stepped on his foot again and he missed her first name, _Evans_, he thought… _hope she's in my house._ She became a Gryffindor, and James watched her walk to the table. She sat down next to Sirius, and started chatting with the girl across the table. Sirius caught James' eye, noticed where he was looking, and started howling with laughter. James blushed.

The line was down to half when Remus was called up. He felt like he was going to be sick any moment when he put the hat on, and he considered holding it in front of his mouth instead of on his head.

_"I wouldn't do that, laddie – you'll be in detention before you even start classes."_

Remus nearly jumped out of his skin, and his stomach gave another uncomfortable lurch. _Where should I be?_ he thought.

_"Well, where do you want to go? I see some good Ravenclaw traits in you… and you're you do have a long line of pure wizarding blood – Salazar Slytherin would be proud…"_

_Oh, please, not Slytherin, I don't think I'd fit in well there, I've met some of them, I just won't fit in, please not Slytherin._

_"Well Ravenclaw would suit you well…. But what's this? A secret, eh? Hm…. and a dark one at that… no, I don't think Slytherin is right for you after all… I'd like to put you in Ravenclaw, but I think you would fit in Gryffindor too… Yes… I see a lot of courage in you… a good sense of mischief… plenty of brains… good wit, too. Well… I think you'll go into Gryffindor just fine…_ GRYFFINDOR!!!"

Remus hopped up from the stool, pale and shaking, but smiling. He dropped the hat and ran over to Sirius to sit next to him, between Sirius and the red-headed Evans. "Almost didn't make it here, mate," Sirius said with a laugh. "Thought we'd have to carry you out of here!"

James was watching his friends closely, so he didn't pay any attention to the rest of the sorting. He was vaguely aware of the other students being sent to each house. He only came to attention when Peter Pettigrew's name was called – Peter was on the stool for a solid minute, and it looked like he was arguing with the hat towards the end. Finally the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR," and Peter scurried to the table after leaving the hat. He glanced at Sirius, then kept walking. After looking around for a few moments, he sat down on Evans' right, bewtween her and a tall boy who looked like he was in fifth or sixth year. James heard his name, saw Sirius mouth a "Good Luck!" to him, and he stepped up, sat down on the stool, and put on the Sorting Hat.

"_A Potter… been a while since I've seen one of you… I do believe Gryffindor is the place for you."_

_Just like that? _James thought,

_"You bet, sonny. I can tell – you have all the heart, and all the nerve, and you're just a little too wild for Ravenclaw. Gryffindor is the only place I can put you."_

_Father Potter would be thrilled_, James thought with a smile.

_"I'm sure you'll make him proud. Just try to stay out of too much trouble."_

James grinned.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius and Remus jumped up on their bench, cheering louder than anyone else at the table. James dropped the hat and came running over to the bench, where he planted himself firmly right between Remus and Evans. After taking a hearty slap on the back from Sirius and a big congratulations from Remus, he turned to Evans.

"Evans, right? Name's James. I didn't catch your first name," he said quickly as he offered her his hand.

She replied, but at that moment, the sorting hat announced a Slytherin, and James only saw her lips move. "OK, well, I'll call you Red or Evans if I forget. And I will," he added quickly. He made a mental note to ask Sirius and Remus what her name was. He turned his attention to the front of the room to see a few more students get sorted. The scrawny boy was sorted into Slytherin. _Good riddance_, James thought. The big black boy next to him became a Gryffindor –he sat down across from Sirius and Remus but James didn't catch his name.

Once all the students were sorted, Professor McGonagall took the stool away with the hat. When she returned, she walked up to the staff table, to sit at the left of the wizard who could only be Headmaster Dumbledore. His beard was tucked under the table, and his eyes were twinkling from behind his spectacles.

Once Professor McGonagall was seated, Dumbledore stood up, raised his hands, and said: "Now that we all have our houses straightened out, let us have our feast so our heads will be properly foggy when I make the start-of-term announcements. _Tuck in._"


	7. A Feast For the Memory

A/N: I'm getting a little better at not ignoring my work. I've gotten a couple more personal projects thrown at me – but I'm trying to keep it all managed!

Still haven't proofread my previous work yet. Wish I had a beta – I need someone to give me a good swift kick every now and then to get me motivated. Then I might be compelled to actually work.

Chapter 7 –

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James was not a part of a large family, so a feast the size of the one he'd just sat down to was completely foreign to him. He'd never been a party to such a noisy event, with so many people there all talking at once. Of course, he'd never been to a place with enchanted ceilings,, boats that floated with no one rowing, or tables with food that sprouted up from them. He helped himself to everything at once: roast chicken, pork chops, creamed corn, pease, carrots, gravy, roasted potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. He ate until he could barely hold another bite, and then he helped himself to two slices of pumpkin pie and cookies with ice cream when the dessert appeared.

While some of the older students were still eating, the first years started talking amongst themselves at the Gryffindor table. Sirius and James led the conversation, mostly discussing families.

"Well I've heard the Potter name, it's a long-time wizarding family - probably on my family tree somewhere – and Lupin, of course, generations of 'em in the history books – all of them with _bad Quidditch choices,_" Sirius said. James and Remus caught each other's eyes and laughed. Sirius continued prattling on. "Thomas – that's a pretty recent name in the loop – and Pettigrew – don't recognize that one, course my parents only talked about the wizards they thought were worthy of mentioning – not everyone can be gossiped about by a _Black_, you know." He made a face. "So, the three of us are pure-bloods, not that it makes much difference right now – what about all of you? Shelby?"

The tall black boy smiled. "Pure wizard here, but only three generations back. Nearly a half-blood, even – my Mum fell for a Muggle before she met my Dad, but the fellow thought she'd lost her mind when she told him – then she showed him and he left thinking _he'd_ lost _his_ mind. So, yeah, we're a pretty recent bloodline."

Peter piped up next. "I'm an actual half-blood – my Mum's a Capper by birth. Dad's a Muggle, through and through. He got his first taste of using the Floo network when we went to Diagon Alley last month. Couldn't stand up straight for a second until Mum charmed away the dizziness. It was hilarious!"

James smiled at Evans the redhead. "What about you, pretty lady?"

"Muggleborn – all Muggles as far back as I can find – I asked McGonagall about it for hours when she came over to the house with my letter. Mum and Daddy were surprised, of course, and Petunia, that's my older sister, she was green with envy. Mum wasn't really that shocked, everyone knew there was something weird about me, they just didn't know what."

"Muggle-born, eh?" Sirius said. "Bet you gave someone quite a shock when your magic skills showed through for the first time."

"Oh, absolutely – I did it to Petunia – she always hated my red hair, she's got this thin, yellowy blonde stuff, and one day, she was going to a slumber party. I was about four years old, and I wanted so desperately to go with her, because, you know, she's my older sister, and I wanted to go with her."

"Yeah, I know, I've got one of _those_ younger siblings," Sirius quipped.

"Anyway, Petunia said, 'You can't go because no one wants someone with a huge red mop on her head,', and she slammed the door, and then, I turned her hair _fire-engine red_ – we could have used her for a traffic light. Mum said I looked quite proud of myself when I did that."

"Wow – how did she get her hair back the way it was? I mean, she did, didn't she?" Remus asked.

"The next morning, her hair was as thin and blonde as it always was. But she didn't go to her slumber party. And Prissy Petunia has never slammed a door in my face since, not once to this day. I think she's still afraid of what I could do. She hid in her room after I got my letter, and I barely saw her that last month." Evans giggled. "Mum got some pictures – to show to Daddy, in case her hair changed back before he got home. I keep them in my dresser – they're an absolute scream – I'll have to show them around sometime."

James jumped into the story-telling next. "My Dad took me out on a broomstick when I was two, and he tried to duck around a bird, but he lost his grip on me, and the next thing he knew, I was flying along, all by myself, like I was riding on a leaf. Mum nearly skinned him alive for taking me out. Been on broomsticks ever since."

The rest shared their storied – how Shelby had sent the neighbor he didn't like running for his life, his baseball chasing after him, how Peter had liked to control the radio when he was a baby, much to his father's chagrin. But Sirius had the best story.

"My snotty little brother that my mother likes wanted some juice, and I did too. Little snot got a cup full of juice, but I didn't. _And_ he wouldn't share. I'd been screaming for _ages_, and he just squeaks, and he gets juice, and all I get is a 'Shut up, brat.' So when the little snot wouldn't share – he even screamed, so Mum came staggering over – I gave him _antlers_. Great thick things, and they just kept growing – I heard they were five feet across when the Healers at St. Mungo's got the spell reversed – he couldn't hold his head up. Mum got questioned, too – seems she smelled a lot like Ogden's Old, and they thought that she did it – a spell she'd done on him gone wrong – or right. Best part was, I got the little snot's juice. Y'know, I still catch hell about that one."

"_What's Ogden's Old?"_ Evans whispered to James.

_"Firewhisky – really powerful stuff,"_ James whispered back.

"_Oh. Antlers. My sister would have died,"_ she whispered back.

James grinned at her just as someone at the staff table cleared his throat.

Dumbledore had risen to his feet, a content smile on his lips beneath his beard. "Some minor announcements are in order before we all go up to our rooms. Firstly, I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is just that – forbidden, and for good reason. Should you wish to argue the point, you may discuss the matter with our groundskeeper Hagrid." He indicated to Hagrid, who had somehow managed to slip in the room and sit down at the staff table unnoticed by most of the students. "Secondly, due to a mishap involving a broomstick with a malfunctioning braking charm, our Quidditch referee and Flying instructor, Cygnus Torrence, is on leave at the moment." Dumbledore continued on through the groan that followed. "He will be returning to school in two weeks time, and as such, Quidditch tryouts will be in the third week of the term. He will also be bringing another member to the faculty – a new flying instructor. She will assist him in teaching and refereeing the matches this year, and next year, she will take over Professor Torrence's duties. Anyone interested in trying out for their house team should see their head of house for details. And, as a reminder, first years are not allowed their own brooms. And lastly, the timetables which you all dread will be given to you tomorrow morning during breakfast.

Last, but not least, I would like to make an announcement on behalf of Professor Sprout. We acquired a rare tree specimen over the holiday, which has been planted at the edge of the forest. The area has been marked off quite clearly. Those of you who value life and limb will not venture beyond that barrier – be forewarned that the tree does not enjoy having its space invaded, and it treats intruders most harshly. The N.E.W.T. Herbology students will learn more about this tomorrow in their first class.

First years will most likely want to follow the prefects of their houses to their dormitories tonight. Your belongings are waiting for you, as are your beds, pillows, and dreams. I bid you all good night, and a restful sleep, that you may be ready for the year ahead. Good-night."

With that, all the plates vanished, along with the food on them. (Sirius grabbed a treacle tart before it disappeared.) The hall filled with the shuffling and scraping of students moving benches back and moving about the room in an effort to retire to their towers. James, Sirius, and Remus staggered along together, taking in what they could as they climbed to the Gryffindor tower, listening to the portraits chatter amongst themselves and trying to remember the way back down to the Great Hall so they could make it down to breakfast. "Bollocks to my classes, if I get anywhere on time tomorrow, it had better be breakfast," Sirius said, while James was mumuring "Left, right, two flights, right, then through the oak doors" to himself.

After what felt like an eternity of climbing stairs and winding through hallways, the group of students came to a portrait of a rather corpulent woman in a pink dress. "Password?" she asked in a very bored manner.

"Exploits," said the sixth year girl at the front. She was identified as a prefect by the badge she wore on her cloak. The portrait swung out, and the group climbed through a large hole in the wall to a comfortaqbler living area, with large overstuffed chairs, two small tables in a corner, and a roaring fire in the hearth. "Get yourselves up to bed, your trunks are waiting at your beds. Boys to the left, girls to the right. Be sure to be on time for breakfast tomorrow, else you'll be missing more than just a meal. No wandering outside the common room after hours or it's detention and some house points docked. Good night," she said with finality, and she left them to themselves.

Remus wanted to stayu awake and read by the fire, but James pulled him by the arm toward the stairs. "You have all year to read, Remus, why not sleep tonight?" Sirius led the way, with James following, then Remus, Shelby, and Peter. When they made it to the sleeping quarters, the room was warm and inviting. The beds were large, four-poster canopy beds, with curtains, thick blankets, and matching thick pillows. James managed to get his shoes off before sinking into the covers, clothes and all. Everything he'd been trying to remember since dinner faded away blissfully as heyes closed and he gave way to sleep and dreams.


End file.
